Electroplating apparatus.



J. GIULIANA.

ELECTROPLA'TING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I. 19!].

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Patented J an. 21, 1919.

JOSEPH GIULIANA, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

AppIioation filed November 1, 1917. Serial No. 199,744.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn GIULIANA, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of electroplating apparatus which employs a barrel in which a plurality of small articles are placed loose and tumbled about during the application of current thereto.

The objects of this invention are to provide a plating apparatus of this sort which can be manipulated readily by one man; to avoid unnecessary exposure of the cathode or conductors thereto within the solution; to provide a cathode which can be removed for cleaning or the like; to obtain positive and continuous contact of the cathode with the articles to be plated with minimum exposure of said cathode; to provide a hard surface for the articles to tumble upon and a permeable end toward the anode for the ready passage of current; to mount the apparatus conveniently in the tank; to secure simplicity of construction and operation, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electroplating apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same showing it mounted in a tank;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the head of the barrel removed, and

Fig. 4 is a section upon a plane substantially midway between the ends or heads of the barrel showing the electrical contact from the center of the barrel to the cathode.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a barrel, shown as cylindrical, with a series of gear teeth 2 around its periphery. These gear teeth mesh with the teeth of a pinion 3 upon a stud shaft 4 which in turn is driven by a belt 5 01' other suitable means, passing around a pulley 6 on said shaft. The barrel 1 and stud shaft 4 are both carried upon a post 7 which in use is stood upright in a tank 8, and it is with the apparatus in this upright position that the belt 5 is applied to the pulley 6, for rotating the barrel from the stud shaft 4 by virtue of the pinion 3 on said shaft meshing with the teeth 2 on the drum.

The drum is rotatably mounted upon an axle 9 shown projecting transversely from the post 7 and shown as an integral part of a conductor bent at its opposite ends with its middle portion 10 extending longitudinally upward within the post, its lower end projecting laterally from said post to form the said axle and with its upper bent end 11 projecting from the post near the top thereof. Preferably this upper end 11 extends in the same general direction as the lower end or axle and is provided with a shoe 12 transverse to said end 11 adapted to rest upon the usual cathode rod 18 horizontally disposed at the top of the tank. Current will therefore be taken from the cathode rod 13 through the upper extension 11 of the conductor, vertical portion 10 within the post 7 to said axle 9. Preferably the said vertical portion 10 of the conductor is inclosed within said post and the axle 9 is also inclosed as will next be described so neither of said parts will be exposed to the electrolytic solution in the tank.

Within the drum and preferably extending diametrically thereof is a bar 14 of insulating material fast at its ends to the cylindrical shell 15 of the drum and forming the support therefor upon the axle. bar 14 provides an enlarged hub 16 at its middle taking over the axle and extending at the side toward the post substantially to the plane of the edge of theshell. Thesaid hub is spaced out from the post 7 by a filler block 17 which preferably has a boss 18 extending rotatably into the said ost so as to obtain a tight joint for excludmgthe solution from the axle. At the outer or free end of the hub, is a recess 19 within which the axle terminates and in whichis a cotter pin 20 or other suitable means, passing through the axle for holding the drum therein- This recess 19 is covered over with a cap 21 preferably made tight to exclude the solution.

Preferably the bar 14 is bored longitudinally as at 22, said bore intersectingthe axle and having therein upon opposite sides This of the axle plungers or brushes 23 which extend therefrom substantially to the shell 15. As shown, each of these brushes is reduced at its outer end, as at 24:,and carries there on a spiral spring 25 which presses against the shell and tends to press the brush to-' ward the axle to obtain electrical contact therewith. Near the outer end of each of said brushes is a screw 26, or other contact means, which extends in the plane of the drum transversely of the bar from one edge thereof tos'aid brush and has a wire 27 'eo mectce to it' upo'n the outside of the bar, wire is held at its other end by ass-6w 28. in Qf 1e m Which h cathode obtains its'electrical charge as' will next be described;

The cathode preferably comprises a plural'tyof members arranged circumupon the inside of the shell 15, e "membersf'exposin'g" each a small conurfs-esteem such part ofthe drum thearticlesto be'plat'ed' will cover and riibl uiien thema a ge p rt f the time during'oper not of the apparatus. Preferably, arc-mat carriers are provided of insulatingihaterial, such as wood, which has the shape offand fits clcse against said shell, therebeingj one ofthese carriers 29 upon each Sideof the lu r 14 For contact memhers? I have shown screws 80 at intervals alcng 'this carrier with their, heads exposed uses, the side of said carrier. toward the centei: of tliedrui'n and their other ends towar the si llfhavifi i a wire. 31 attached their offor conducting,current to each of siclrtew's or members At one end of each carrier, the snare connected to a plate 32, fas .1 ,l"to said carrier on the side thereof toward the shell 7 and adapted to be clamped against the screw 28 in the shell so as to conduct current therefrom to the members 30. Preferably the carrier 29 incloses said plate .32, wire 31 and the screwv ends of the members 30, so, as; to prevent access of the solution thereto and. thus prevent plating thereof.- The carriers are removably mounted in the drmn by suitable means such as screws33, and in the operation of my im r q etlp s-ass these ar er may e mcyed as o ccasionrequires and. dipped or otherwise treated for removing, any plating Wl i; cumu at s p h exp s d P ie se thei 'mem ers 0' t is 'be' noted also that I prcvide a blocl; 34; to cover the senew-2tir and wire 27 which conducts the current to the carrier from thebrush 23. The urrentto he m mbe s Q is in i w y ob a ned rom h ca hode a h g the extension 11 and upright portion 10 and axle 9. by he rus es 3, c nt ct ng e s. 26 and wires 27 by which the currentis delivered. to the screws 28 on the shell beneath the rier 2Q, engaged bythe plate 32 which is in turn connected by wires 31 to said I are. $hes e1 'pteierablr has citcumferential series of perforations 35 upon opposite sides of the carriers 29 to permit the solution to drain out quickly when the barrel is raised out of the tank.

The ends of the barrel are preferably closed by heads 36 of textile materials permeable to the electrolytic solution employed, although it is within the scope of the invention to substitute other materials if found more desirable. Said heads provide rings 37 upon which the material is secured and adapted to slip onto the outer circumference of the shell, holding the body portion38 of the head tight across the end of the drum in the plane thereof. The head toward the post 7 is preferably apertured at its center to permit the axle 9 to pass therethrough and is clamped between the hub '16 and the filler block 17. The other head 'is preferably removable and by taking this head'ofi the articles to-be plat-ed are inserted before treatment and are removed in the sam man ner when the treatment is finished. It is to be particularly noted that the articles rest upon the shell of the barrel and tumble thereon, and that. the weight of the article'sis not materially upon the textile heads 36'. During rotation ofthe barreLlf the articles will becaused to tumble positively by the bar 1 1 which extends diametrically across the barrel and which thus acts as an agitator to stir the niassof articles."

The stud shaft 4: is mounted upon an axle 39 which is preferably a rod bent'at its end toward the post to extend longitudinally of the vertical portion 10016 the conductor from the cathodefbar to which portion said axle is shown bolted. For insertingithe e n ductor in the post 7, said post has alongitudinal sheath &0 which is removable, said sheath preferably being at the side of the post opposite from the axle.

For mounting the apparatus in atank, I have shown longitudinal upper and lower beams 41, 42 respectively near the top. and bottom of the tank parallelto eaehother. The upper of these beams is not .overlthe lowerone, but is'oifset sufficiently to per.- mit the post 7Yto' be stood. upright with one beam upon one side'and the other'beam upon the opposite side thereof. The back of the post, that is, the side thereof having the sheath 10, is positioned to rest against the upper beam, and upon the other: side'of the post at'its bottomis'a lip 43 adapted to take under the lower beam. The upward pull on the belt 5 tends to hold the lowerlend of the post toward the lower, beam and the upper end of the post toward the upper beam, the lip. 43 preventing upwar ldisplacement. To remove theapparatus, the belt is run off the pulley, the cathode "rod re moved or swung aside as usual, and the ap paratus lifted out. To facilitate this, I have s ow a r ng as a h top at heet a though this may be dispensed with and other means substituted as found desirable.

Anode plates 45 are hung within the tank at opposite ends of the barrel upon rods 46, and it is to be understood that the current passes by means of the electrolytic solution through the permeable drum heads to the articles to be plated. The solution is maintained at an elevation in the tank below the pulley 6 and stud shaft 4: and may be as much lower as found desirable, although I prefer to substantially submerge the barrel as shown.

Obviously various modifications and changes may be made in the manufacture of my improved apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is,

1. In a plating apparatus, a barrel having opposite ends permeable to liquid and an intermediate annular shell, a circumferential series of cathode members at the inner surface of said shell adapted to be engaged by articles tumbling within the barrel, connections extending circumferentially of the inner wall of said shell between said cathode members, and means also extending circumferentially upon said inner wall of the shell for covering and protectin said connections and exposing said cat ode members.

2. In a plating apparatus, a barrel having a peripheral shell, a carrier within said barrel and fitting against said shell, means removably securing said carrier in place, and a cathode upon said carrier whereby said cathode may be removed from the barrel when desired.

3. In a plating apparatus, a barrel having a peripheral shell, a carrier within said barrel and fitting against said shell, means removably securing said carrier in place, a plurality of cathode members upon said carrier, and means between the carrier and shell electrically connecting said cathode members.

4. In a plating apparatus, a rotatable barrel, a bar extending across said barrel for supporting the same, an axle transverse. to said bar adapted to conduct electricity into the barrel, a brush adapted to rotate with the barrel in engagement with the axle, and a cathode in electrical connection with said brush.

5. In a plating apparatus, the combination with a tank, of a removable post adapted to be stood within said tank, supporting means at opposite ends and upon opposite sides of said post, a barrel on said post, and driving means for said barrel tending to swing the opposite ends of the post against said supporting means thereby holding the post in upright position.

6. In a plating apparatus, the combination with a tank, of a removable post adapted to be stood within said tank, supporting means at opposite ends and upon opposite sides of said post, said post having a lip at its bottom adapted to underlie the lower supporting means, a barrel on said post, and driving means for said barrel tending to swing the opposite ends of the post against said supporting means thereby holding the post in upright position.

In a plating apparatus, the combination with a conductor having its ends bent laterally with respect to its middle portion,

one end forming an axle and the other end adapted to hang upon a cathode rod, a barrel rotatably mounted upon said axle, a cathode within said barrel, a brush adapted to rotate in engagement with said axle and in electrical connection with the cathode whereby a circuit will be completed from the cathode rod to the cathode.

8. In a plating apparatus, a. barrel having opposite ends permeable to liquid and an intermediate annular shell, a circumferential series of cathode members at the inner surface of said shell adapted to be engaged by articles tumbling within the barrel, connections extending circumferentially of the wall of said shell between said cathode members, and means also extending circumferentially upon said wall of the shell for covering and protecting said connections.

9. In a plating apparatus, a barrel having opposite ends permeable to liquid and an intermediate annular shell, a circumferential series of cathode members at the inner surface of said shell adapted to be engaged by articles tumbling within the barrel, connections extending circumferentially of the wall of said shell between said cathode members, means for supplying current to said connections, and means for supporting and rotating the barrel.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH GIULIANA. Witnesses:

HOWARD P. KING, JANET A. AYERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

